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Holloway

Bob Costas Refuses to Host CNN Show About Missing Alabama Teen Natalee Holloway

By DAVID BAUDER
The Associated Press

NEW YORK Aug 19, 2005 — While some cable TV hosts are making their living off the Natalee Holloway case this summer, Bob Costas is having none of it.

Costas, hired by CNN as an occasional fill-in on "Larry King Live," refused to anchor Thursday's show because it was primarily about the Alabama teenager who went missing in Aruba. Chris Pixley filled in at the last minute.

"I didn't think the subject matter of Thursday's show was the kind of broadcast I should be doing," Costas said in a statement. "I suggested some alternatives but the producers preferred the topics they had chosen. I was fine with that, and respectfully declined to participate."

Costas' manager declined to elaborate on what Costas didn't like about the topic.

Thursday's guests included Beth Holloway Twitty, the girl's mother; a television reporter; and an investigator in the case. Seven of the show's 10 guests talked about the missing girl, the other segments were about the BTK killer.

The Holloway case has been a big attraction on cable news networks during a slow news period, with Fox News Channel's Greta Van Susteren getting record ratings as she's paid almost nonstop attention to it. Reports of Costas' decision first surfaced on the mediabistro.com Web site on Friday.

"There were no hard feelings at all," Costas said. "It's not a big deal. I'm sure there are countless topics that will be mutually acceptable in the future."

Wendy Walker, senior executive producer of "Larry King Live," described it as a mutual decision for Costas not to do the show because he was uncomfortable with the subject matter.

"We love having Bob … and since `Larry King Live' covers an extremely extensive palate of subjects, there will always be shows that he will enjoy hosting," she said.

The NBC Sports personality, also host of "Costas Now" on HBO, had agreed to be host for about 20 editions of "Larry King Live" this year. He's done six, the network said.

His decision is reminiscent of Keith Olbermann, the former sportscaster who left his MSNBC news show in the late 1990s in part because he was asked to repeatedly cover the Monica Lewinsky story. Olbermann is back now for his second run at MSNBC.


Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.







Costas rejects BTK episode of 'Larry King Live'


By Paul J. Gough Mon Aug 22, 1:26 AM ET

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - "Larry King Live" substitute host Bob Costas declined to host an episode last week that dealt with the BTK killer's sentencing, saying he didn't think the subject matter was appropriate for him.


Costas' latest stint on "Larry King Live" was to last all week, Monday-Thursday live from New York; a pretaped show with King was previously scheduled for Friday. But sometime Thursday, Costas objected to the topic of the show, which was all over cable TV news all day: the Wichita, Kan., sentencing of BTK killer



Dennis Rader, who had terrorized the region for more than 20 years.

"I didn't think the subject matter of Thursday's show was the kind of broadcast that I should be doing," Costas said. "I suggested some alternatives, but the producers preferred the topics they had chosen."

Costas later "respectfully declined to participate" he said.

Wendy Walker, senior executive producer of "Larry King Live," said Costas wasn't comfortable with the subject matter and added that it was a mutual decision for him to step aside. Attorney Chris Pixley, one of the stable of guest hosts for "Larry King Live," stepped in.

"There were no hard feelings at all. It's not a big deal," Costas said. "I'm sure there are countless topics that will be mutually acceptable in the future."

A CNN spokeswoman said there were no internal repercussions about the disagreement on what is by far CNN's highest-rated show.

"We love having Bob guest-host the show," Walker said. "And since 'Larry King Live' covers an extremely extensive palate of subjects, there will always be shows that he will enjoy hosting."

Walker and Costas declined further comment.

King appeared Friday during a pretaped show about "Intervention," a series on A&E. CNN said Costas stood by in case there was breaking news.

It wasn't just Costas who had problems with CNN's coverage of the sentencing, which featured a rambling 20-minute statement by Rader. "Situation Room" contributor Jack Cafferty mixed it up with host Wolf Blitzer about the media's obsession with Rader.

"We're playing right into his hands," Cafferty said. "Does anybody get that?"

Reuters/VNU